I’m DC RAINMAKER…
Here’s how to save!
Wanna save some cash and support the site? These companies help support the site! With Backcountry.com or Competitive Cyclist with either the coupon code DCRAINMAKER for first time users saving 15% on applicable products.
You can also pick-up tons of gear at REI via these links, which is a long-time supporter as well:
Alternatively, for everything else on the planet, simply buy your goods from Amazon via the link below and I get a tiny bit back as an Amazon Associate. No cost to you, easy as pie!
You can use the above link for any Amazon country and it (should) automatically redirect to your local Amazon site.
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Check out my weekly podcast - with DesFit, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
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5 Easy Steps To The Site
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In Depth Product Reviews
You probably stumbled upon here looking for a review of a sports gadget. If you’re trying to decide which unit to buy – check out my in-depth reviews section. Some reviews are over 60 pages long when printed out, with hundreds of photos! I aim to leave no stone unturned.
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Read My Sports Gadget Recommendations.
Here’s my most recent GPS watch guide here, and cycling GPS computers here. Plus there are smart trainers here, all in these guides cover almost every category of sports gadgets out there. Looking for the equipment I use day-to-day? I also just put together my complete ‘Gear I Use’ equipment list, from swim to bike to run and everything in between (plus a few extra things). And to compliment that, here’s The Girl’s (my wife’s) list. Enjoy, and thanks for stopping by!
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Have some fun in the travel section.
I travel a fair bit, both for work and for fun. Here’s a bunch of random trip reports and daily trip-logs that I’ve put together and posted. I’ve sorted it all by world geography, in an attempt to make it easy to figure out where I’ve been.
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My Photography Gear: The Cameras/Drones/Action Cams I Use Daily
The most common question I receive outside of the “what’s the best GPS watch for me” variant, are photography-esq based. So in efforts to combat the amount of emails I need to sort through on a daily basis, I’ve complied this “My Photography Gear” post for your curious minds (including drones & action cams!)! It’s a nice break from the day-to-day sports-tech talk, and I hope you get something out of it!
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The Swim/Bike/Run Gear I Use List
Many readers stumble into my website in search of information on the latest and greatest sports tech products. But at the end of the day, you might just be wondering “What does Ray use when not testing new products?”. So here is the most up to date list of products I like and fit the bill for me and my training needs best! DC Rainmaker 2024 swim, bike, run, and general gear list. But wait, are you a female and feel like these things might not apply to you? If that’s the case (but certainly not saying my choices aren’t good for women), and you just want to see a different gear junkies “picks”, check out The Girl’s Gear Guide too.
Author Archives: Ray Maker
Week in Review–March 22nd, 2015
The Week in Review is a collection of both all the goodness I’ve written during the past week around the internet, as well as a small pile of links I found interesting – generally endurance sports related. I’ve often wondered … Read More Here
Epson Runsense SF-810 GPS watch with optical HR: In-Depth Review
Over the last 8-9 months, Epson has introduced a number of fitness wearables into the market. While that might seem odd for a company known primarily for printers, one need only remember that Epson is part of the Seiko Epson … Read More Here
PowerTap announces P1 Power Meter Pedals, also PowerTap C1 chainring unit
PowerTap has just broadened their power meter portfolio with the P1 Pedals & C1 Chainring. Here’s everything you ever wanted to know about them. Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
It’s been a busy weekend, with a lot of new devices on the plot – here’s what I was up to the last two and a half days. 1) Starting using the Garmin Vivoactive After I landed from Bahrain early … Read More Here
Heads Up: Garmin FR910XT for $249, TomTom Cardio for $219 (optical HR GPS)
Starting today, a handful of products are on a fairly big sale – the Garmin FR910XT, TomTom Runner Cardio, and a deal with the Scosche Rhythm+. As is usually the case, I tend not to create standalone posts on any … Read More Here
The 2015 Paris Half-Marathon Race Report
Ok, so I’m a bit behind on posting this race report. Which is probably appropriate given it’ll match my running of the actual race. No worries though, unlike Snapchat, the photos here don’t expire (though regrettably aren’t likely as titillating … Read More Here
A Bahrain Run & Swim Brickaround
The last 48 hours I’ve been in Bahrain, a tiny little island country in the Middle East that floats to the east of Saudi Arabia. So close in fact that when I’m on work trips to Saudi, I often just … Read More Here
A Brief Update on 4iiii Precision Power Meter: Starts shipping this week
Quick update/note – July 27th, 2015: Many of you have asked when my review of the 4iiii Precision Power Meter will be released. While I received a number of test units back this spring, I’ve run into a bug/issue that … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
Here’s what I was up to this past weekend, the whole of which was actually spent home in Paris. Woot! 1) Packet Pickup for the Paris Half-Marathon On Saturday morning I headed up to the Bois de Vincennes to pickup … Read More Here
Garmin Fenix3 Multisport GPS Watch In-Depth Review
Looking for the ultimate in detail on Garmin’s most advanced triathlon and hiking watch? I dive into unseen details and data metrics. Read More Here
Pebble announces powered Smartstrap extensibility support for Pebble Time
It’s only been a week since Pebble’s last announcement, the new Pebble Time. That watch blasted through nearly $11M in Kickstarter sales through the end of the first weekend. Now, Pebble has made another announcement while at MWC in Barcelona … Read More Here
Suunto announces new Ambit3 Run, colored HR straps, workout creator and more
Suunto has announced their latest watch onto the market, the Ambit3 Run. This watch follows in the footsteps of the Ambit2/2S/2R variants whereby Suunto takes an existing watch and then produces a variant of it specifically focused on the running … Read More Here
5 (Very) Random Things I Did This Weekend
In the last 10 days I’ve been in 6 countries (Turkey, South Africa, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain). In fact, I’ve done one unique country 4 out of the last 5 days. Given those stats, I can assure you this … Read More Here
Week in Review–March 1st, 2015
The Week in Review is a collection of both all the goodness I’ve written during the past week around the internet, as well as a small pile of links I found interesting – generally endurance sports related. I’ve often wondered … Read More Here
DCR Behind the Cave: The CLUG bike mount system
Since I unveiled The DCR Cave a few months ago, I’ve continued to get a number of questions on one particular item that has no electronics at all in it: The CLUG. It’s the tiny little blocks that are holding … Read More Here
Fitbit Charge and Charge HR In-Depth Review
It’s been a few months now since Fitbit announced and then subsequently released their Fitbit Charge and Charge HR units. At the same time, they announced the Fitbit Surge GPS (which I’ve already reviewed here). For this post though, we’ll … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
Wow, this has definitely been a whirlwind weekend. Yet somehow, it didn’t feel all that busy. Almost even sorta relaxing. Go figure. 1) Flew home From South Africa This one is pretty self-explanatory, and I touched on it Saturday in … Read More Here
Week in Review–February 22nd, 2015
The Week in Review is a collection of both all the goodness I’ve written during the past week around the internet, as well as a small pile of links I found interesting – generally endurance sports related. I’ve often wondered … Read More Here
A Week of Sunset Swims and Runs in South Africa
This week I was down in Roodepoort, South Africa for work stuffs. For the most part, I was basically inside a room from 8AM till dark. On a few of the nights though, I did manage to escape just at … Read More Here
App du Jour: StravistiX plugin for Strava
(Update: This app has now been renamed Stravistix, but at the time of this writing was called StravaPlus. I have updated the title, though left the rest of the article with the old name.) Back a few weeks or so ago … Read More Here
Valentine’s Day Double-Gadget Giveaway Winners!
With Valentine’s Day landing this past weekend, I figured it was the perfect time to give something away. Except, instead of just one something, I went for a double: Two somethings! The winner could choose two gadgets from Clever Training, … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
Here’s what I’ve been up to the last few days. As always, it’s been a wee bit busy. 1) A Saturday Long Run I headed out mid-afternoon on Saturday for a bit of a run around the city. I didn’t … Read More Here
Week in Review–February 15th, 2014
The Week in Review is a collection of both all the goodness I’ve written during the past week around the internet, as well as a small pile of links I found interesting – generally endurance sports related. I’ve often wondered … Read More Here
Valentine’s Day Double-Gadget Giveaway!
It’s definitely time for another giveaway. Given Valentine’s Day is tomorrow, it only seems right to show you some lovin’. But, it would seem sorta awkward to give you a present and not also give the person you love (or, at … Read More Here
Everything you ever wanted to know about the Garmin HRM-RUN
Can’t quite figure out what Running Dynamics are, or which device you need? Ask no more! Everything you ever wanted to know about it here. Read More Here